Wild Thing Finished

Wild Thing is now finished.

The sun was shining gloriously, and I thought it would be fun to take the quilt outside for a photo shoot.

I had to work quickly as a slight breeze came up and kept blowing the quilt around.

I guess that is to be expected with a name like Wild Thing.

Just lovin' that hand crocheted ric rac.

One of the nice things about opting to use crochet thread for the ric rac is the wide variety of colors available.

It was easy to find just the right color of blue that matched with It's a Hoot fabric line.

A gift for my grand daughter.
I might even brave it and quilt this one myself.

Yes, THAT Jackie

This world of quilt blogging has been filled with opportunities.

When I first started writing, one of the first people to leave me a comment was Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt Works.
Yes, THAT Jackie, who we all know to be a very talented and accomplished lady.

Even though she lives in Connecticut, and I live out west, our friendship has grown over the years.

That is why I was thrilled when the opportunity arose where we both were in Phoenix on the same day.

We met for lunch, and of course yabbered non stop about our love of quilting.

I was especially curious to learn how Jackie manages to be involved in so many areas of the business.

She is happily married, with two teenage children still at home, and yet accomplishes so much.

Not only does Jackie run her online Quilt Shop and Website (with nearly 1,000 products), but she also does Long Arm work.

In fact, Jackie said that her long arm work has been the main focus of her business.

She often collaborates with other talented designers, and is frequently published.
Make sure to look for her in the latest Quilts and More edition.

Where she did the long arm work for designer Vickie Eapen of Spun Sugar Quilts.

And she publishes Jackie's Quilting Chronicles, pod casts where she interviews leaders in the industry, and talks about quilting tips.

And she spends countless hours working on her own quilts that she often gives away to family and friends.

The lady must have endless energy!

Jackie also made me this cute little bag as a gift.

Thank you Jackie! I love it! I will think fondly of you every time I use it.

Now we are counting the weeks until we can meet up again, hopefully at Spring Quilt Market which will be held in Salt Lake City this year.

Pleased

I started sewing the crocheted ric rac into Wild Thing last night.

I'm pleased with the way it's turning out.

Travel Boat

Deep within the forests of the Arizona Amazon lurks swarms of wild animals, multi colored monsters, the Abominable Snowman, pirates and aliens from other worlds.

Safety lies within the accomplished crew of Travel Boat.

Papa: King of The Boat

Noah: Captain, who steers the boat and "drives through things".

Isaak: Weapons Officer, who "organizes all the weapons and hands them out".

The most important supplies are gathered first.
Travel Boat must be prepared to drive through lakes and climb steep mountains.

There are slippery icebergs and big whales along the way.

Oh no! Within seconds we have been attacked by a giant termite!
A good weapons officer can shoot from any angle.

There are no rules to Travel Boat, which makes things even more dangerous.

These may look like normal pillows to you, but in reality they are "Super Shields" that protect you from the bad guys.

In desperate situations the shield must cover both sides.

Papa has been hit. We will save him.

Who is that alien nearby? We realize her camera has cosmic rays that can suck your brains out.

Noah grabs his own camera, blocking any rays coming towards Travel Boat.

Unfortunately, Travel Boat comes with injuries.

While Noah was busy saving the day, he took off his shield and was hit.

Oh my! There is a hole in his tummy!

There are operations where they have to "sew up your guts".

(no tickling allowed)

Shield safely back on both sides.

Travel Boat can now continue.

Which it will for many nights ahead.

Wild Thing Crocheted Ric Rac

When I read that Wild Thing needed 6 yards of ric rac, I knew exactly what I wanted to use.

I began crocheting my own ric rac.

The teal blue crochet thread matches perfectly with the It's a Hoot fabric line.

If you are interested in making your own ric rac, I did a post on 10/26/10 that provides links to Fox's Lane free tutorial.

Easy peasy to do, and worked up rather fast. (trust me)

I used a (100% cotton) size 10 crochet thread, and a size C (2.5 mm) crochet hook.

One cone made 6 1/2 yards of ric rac.
Just the perfect amount needed for the quilt.

The ric rac is now wrapped neatly back on the cone, waiting to be sewn into Wild Thing.

I'll keep you posted.

Wild Thing

WILD THING by the Troggs 1965
Wild Thing....
You make my heart sing...
You make everything....
Groovy
I said Wild Thing....

Wild Thing by Thimble Blossoms

Wild Thing I think I love you....

But I wanna know for sure.

Come on hold me tight.

I love you.

Wild Thing

I think you move me.

But I wanna know for sure.

You move me.

An Amazing Lady Has A Birthday Today!

One of the nicest ladies you will ever want to meet has a BIRTHDAY TODAY!

Make sure to run over and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Who is this AMAZING lady you might ask?

Why it's our very own Lori of Bee In My Bonnet!

I count myself lucky to call Lori my friend.

Today I want to tell you a little bit about her, things you might know, and things you might not know.

When I think of Lori, I think of her love of family. She has heart warming stories to tell of being raised by wonderful parents in a small town in Utah. Most of her siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins still live nearby, and they are large part of her everyday life.

She has a love story with her EQUALLY AMAZING husband.

You can find out more about this part of their story on her Valentine post.

Lori doesn't like to talk much about herself.

She usually says "I like my work to speak for itself."

Her first fabric line Sew Cherry is just getting ready to hit the market.

Fabric line #2 is almost finished.

Did you know that Lori hand draws all of her images? No computer graphics here.

And of course you all must know what fabulous quilts she designs.

Make sure to go over to her blog and scroll through her large number of patterns available.

I stand in AWE.

When she is not designing fabrics or patterns, Lori is making cute things to be given to friends.

She is very generous with her time and talents.

And she always makes dozens and dozens of the same gift, so everyone gets a prize.

Another word to describe Lori is ORGANIZED.

When I have gone on retreats with her, she arrives with every project pre-cut, labeled and ready to go.

And she stays on task. I've never seen anyone accomplish as much as she does in just a few short days.

CUTE
And I love that she always has such cute painted toe nails and finger nails that match all the cute quilts or projects she is always creating.

Did you know that she always presses with a 1930 antique iron?

She loves anything Vintage.

Lori is also a very good listener. If a friend has a problem, she is always there with comforting words and sage advice.

And the girl can SING!

Golden throat.

She has sung in a country western band, and I'm sure the church choir director is thrilled every time she walks in.

Well, there are a million things I could tell you about our Lori, but most of all I just want her to know she is loved and Appreciated.

HAVE THE MOST WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY EVER dear friend!

Happy Valentine's Day

A perfect way to start a day:
"I drew this picture for you and Papa because I love you."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Making cookies as a family:

Mommy had the dough and frosting all ready.

Isaak is big enough to cut out shapes by himself.

Noah gets a little help from daddy.

Working together is a team effort.

Daddy baked the cookies...

..while mommy helped with the decorating.

Just a random thought:

Why is it that the boys always get the long eyelashes?

My daughter Amy always gets rave reviews when she shares these sugar cookies with neighbors and friends.

The recipe is a family favorite from Dano's mother.

Dayton's Sugar Cookies

Dough:

1 C. sugar

1 C. butter, chilled cut in cubes

3 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3 C. flour sifted

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

Cream the sugar and chilled butter that has been cut in cubes. Add the milk, vanilla and egg.

In a separate bowl sift the flour, and add the salt and baking powder.

Add the dry ingredients 1/3 rd at a time to the creamed mixture.

Wrap the dough in cellophane and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Frosting:

1/2 C. butter, chilled and cut in cubes
Sift together and cream with butter:

1/4 C. flour

2 C. powdered sugar

Add until creamy:

1/4 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

food coloring of your choice